Thesis Title

Author

Date of Graduation

Fall 2005

Degree

Master of Science in Nursing

Department

Nursing

Committee Chair

Kathryn Hope

Keywords

children, asthma, responsibility, parent, self-care

Subject Categories

Nursing

Abstract

The study explored the asthma management responsibilities of the child with asthma and the parent caring for the child with asthma and what it is the effect of the school setting on asthma management activities. Using Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory as a framework, the study had a sample of 16 children/parent dyads (children ages 5 to 12 year and their parents ages 18 and over) managing asthma. The sample was recruited from one public elementary school district (Sample #1) and from one private elementary school (Sample #2), located in a metropolitan Midwestern city. The child participants had a diagnosis of asthma from a health care provider. The study utilized the Asthma responsibility Questionnaire (ARQ) to assess responsibility for 10 asthma management tasks. The results of the ARQ demonstrated that children were more responsible for their own asthma management in comparison to their parents and Sample #2 was more responsible in contrast to Sample #1. Overall, children reported a higher level of asthma management responsibilities for themselves than their parents did for them. The demographic findings included significant difference of socioeconomic and parent educational levels between the two schools. The implications for future research is recommended to further evaluate other demographic variables in a broader sample size, various settings with broader diversities and culture, with additional income levels, matched groups involving age, length of diagnosis, illness severity and provide data across a longitudinal scale.